On Feb. 20, 1992, John Singleton made history as the first African-American to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Director for his film Boyz in the Hood. At the age of 24, he was also the youngest to receive the honor.

Singleton's movie told the story of youth growing up in Compton, Los Angeles. He was praised for his in-depth portrayal of the characters and the accuracy of the adversity they faced growing up in the neighborhood, such as gun violence.

Singleton went on to direct other popular films including Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), Shaft (2000), Rosewood (1997), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and released Hustle & Flow (2005) through his production company New Deal Entertainment.

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